South Korea’s Yoon Praises Trump in Phone Call as Trade Officials Brace for Tariffs

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke with Donald Trump on Thursday and congratulated him on winning the U.S. presidency on the "Make America Great Again" slogan as officials in Seoul worked to prepare for "significant" economic changes.

Yoon and Trump held a 12-minute phone call and discussed the close security and economic ties of their two countries across all areas, a senior South Korean official said on Thursday

South Korea's ambassador to the United States also visited Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida to meet with members of the president-elect's camp, the foreign ministry said.

Trump's election has renewed attention in South Korea on his "America First" foreign policy plans and how his unpredictable style will play out in his second term.

Officials worked past midnight on Wednesday to prepare for changes expected from U.S. policies, with the Bank of Korea and think tanks seeing a potential hit to exports if the U.S. hikes tariffs.

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Yoon will need to find a way to use their personal friendship to advance Seoul's interests, said Duyeon Kim of the Center for a New American Security."

This might be the only way to avert devastating consequences and surprises in the alliance relationship - including South Korean questions about Washington's defense commitment - that we currently assume would happen based on Trump's harsh rhetoric against allies and transactional style," she said.

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